Broncos clear preference for head coach hiding in plain sight
Is it possible that the Denver Broncos’ preference for the team’s next head coach is hiding in plain sight? Not that there has been any shortage of publicity with the top candidates so far, but it feels like some of the details regarding the team’s pursuit of one coach, in particular, have become borderline afterthoughts in the process.
The candidate I’m speaking of, to spare any more theatrics, is none other than former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. If you engage with Broncos Country on Twitter, you might come to find that Payton is not exactly everyone’s favorite potential candidate, and for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons I’ve been told Payton is or should not be the favorite candidate right now?
- “Bountygate”
- “He quit on his team”
- “We can get ‘so-and-so’ without trading draft picks
There are valid reasons, I suppose, not to like Sean Payton as a head coach option. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and some people might just prefer other options regardless of how much Bountygate, “he quit on his team”, or trading draft picks factor into the equation.
With all of that being said, we need to look through some very important details right now that, as previously stated, seem to be getting overlooked after they are reported.
- Payton’s price tag could be $25 million annually
- Payton was the initial betting favorite for the Broncos HC vacancy
- The Broncos did not balk at the asking price in a trade (1st-round pick plus)
- Broncos have the first official interview with Payton on Tuesday morning in LA
- Broncos insider Mike Klis predicted Payton would be the one to get the job
Beyond all of this, the Broncos have been the most aggressive in figuring out how to get their people with Payton’s people. They have been the most aggressive team in setting up a meeting with him, they are the only team that has reportedly agreed to whatever the trade compensation is, and there have been no reports of the ownership group balking at the contract asking price from Sean Payton…
What more do we need here?
It seems pretty clear when you read into all of this that the Broncos want Sean Payton more than anyone else for their head coach position. I realize there are other teams in the mix, and I realize his situation is unique and requires hoops to be jumped through, but the Broncos have undoubtedly done the most to jump through hoops to talk to him and get an interview lined up.
What does this all mean? It doesn’t necessarily mean that the Broncos are going to walk away from their interview with Sean Payton on Tuesday with an agreement in place. We’ll see what happens. The reality of this situation, though, is that the Broncos appear poised to trade what it takes, pay what it takes, and give Payton what it takes to get this deal done.
They have been aggressive all along, and when you start to connect all of the breadcrumbs that have been left out, you start to see that all roads lead back to one guy as the top target.